Counting Stars
by FlyingMintBunny2
Summary: Human AU, USUK. Lately, Alfred's been losing sleep and spends the nights on his weekends counting stars. Arthur, on the other hands, counts the stars everyday to see how many are visible in the light polluted area that day. It just so happens that both of these two have a certain... ability. What happens when these two cross paths? Read to find out. WARNING: Language and boyxboy.
1. Prologue: Counting Stars

**Hello! I had two ideas and decided to combine them. Those of you who read my other stories, I know, I know, I other stories that need to be updated, but I needed to type these ideas to see how they would turn out! Tell me what you think, okay?**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

**(P.S. I've never been to Louisiana, so bear with me!) **

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_Prologue: Counting Stars_

It was a cool, calm night on the outskirts of Louisiana. The moon was a waxing crescent and the sky was filled with millions of stars. At this point, the nocturnal creatures were running about while the others took their rest.

A boy no older than nineteen years old was laying in the grass of a small farm with his eyes closed, yet he was not asleep. He had dirty blonde hair with a tuft of hair that seemed to take pleasure in defying gravity. He was wearing a brown bomber jacket over a plain white t-shirt and he had blue jeans on, yet he was not wearing any shoes. His face was childish, but mature at the same time with his well defined jaw and other manly attributes, giving him and attractive boyish look which would've looked more childish, had he not been wearing glasses. He opened his eyes and stared up at the stars, basking in their glow and the serenity that they brought him while his blue eyes twinkled in the low light and he smiled slightly.

'_I'm so glad that I don't have to listen to all of those people on the weekends. I'd probably go insane._', he inwardly chuckled at his own statement, knowing that this wasn't a typical woe despite the fact that it sounded like one. Alfred was not antisocial by far, yet he did get annoyed when the thoughts of others plague his mind due to his inability to control his telepathy that no one knew about besides a select few trusted people. How he managed to keep it secret with his big mouth is beyond even himself.

He shifted his focus away from his thoughts and up to the sky and began counting the infinite amount of stars in the sky, '_1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12..._'

"Alfred, where are you!?"

'_Where is that boy?_', Alfred heard the voice and thoughts of his old grandfather that owned the ranch that he was currently residing in.

"I'm over here, grandpa!", Alfred replied. Alfred listened as his grandfather's footsteps made his way over to him.

"What are you doing?", Alfred's grandfather asked, '_Counting stars again?_'

Alfred smiled fondly at the fact that his grandfather that asked what he was doing despite the fact that he already knew, "You already know, grandpa."

His grandfather chuckled at sat down next to him a bit slowly due to his aging bones, "You've gotta stop reading my mind, boy." Alfred simply smiled at the man. Alfred's grandfather was an old man that had white hair, yet he had aged well. He looked like a forty-year-old Alfred, to be honest, and he was sixty-two. He glanced at his grandson, "You're right, though, so answer this question, _Why_ are you counting stars?"

Alfred hesitated for a moment, not really knowing what to say, "I... I, uh, I've been losing sleep and have been coming here to look at the stars every time I stay at your house."

His grandfather rose an eyebrow, "Why?" '_Is he okay? He's not pushing himself too hard, is he?_'

Alfred felt his heart warm a bit at his grandfather's concern, "Well, I've been dreaming about the things that I could be, what I could do, I don't want to count dollars anymore...", Alfred sighed and his grandfather hummed, "What do you mean by that last statement?" There was a short pause before Alfred spoke again, "I don't want to worry about paper and metal. ...Hey, pop, what did you want to be when you were my age?"

His grandfather smiled a bit, "Me? Well, I wanted to be a doctor. I wanted money, unlike you, which is really strange because you want everything else." Alfred rolled his eyes and read his thoughts, finding that his grandfather was being truthful. "Let me tell you, though. I was not cut out for being a doctor. Just the _sight_ of blood had me running for the hills!" A short laugh was shared between the two, "I was better cut out for field work, which is why I took up what used to be the family business and then I met your grandmother at the market... She was buying vegetables and I was selling. It was love at first sight. I sold her some cabbage and I gave her a bell pepper for free before saying, 'Hi! I'm David! What's yer name?', to which she replied with a smile and a blush, 'I'm Allison.' We began seeing each other more and more and we knew we were going to get married."

Alfred sighed a bit, "Grandpa, I already know this story." David let out a bark of laughter, "Doesn't hurt to be reminded, does it?" Alfred replied to this with a breathy chuckle.

"David? Alfred? Come inside! Dinner's ready!", Alfred's grandmother, Allison, yelled from the house.

"We'll be right there, dear!", David turned back to Alfred, "Come on, let's go see what she's made to poison us this time."

Alfred stuck out his tongue, but got up nonetheless and helped his grandfather up, who cracked his back upon standing, "Ah, that felt good." Alfred snickered at this and, together, the two made their way inside.

**\( -_-)/**

Despite the fact that it was night and they were in a place such as Louisiana, the city was still bustling with people. The door of a small bookshop was being locked by a vertically challenged man(compared to other men) with unruly blond hair. He wore a green sweater vest over a white button up and khaki pants with loafers. To top it off was a black peacoat that accentuated his curves, making it easier to mistake him as a woman from behind. Upon turning around, he shoved the key to the shop in the pocket of his coat, revealing striking emerald green eyes and equally striking large eyebrows. His face was rounded and delicate, but was marred with a scowl as he began walking down the streets.

'_I'm going to see her tonight!_'

'_I wonder if Thomas fed the dog..._'

'_Gonna eat all the ice cream when me and mommy get home!_'

The man's scowl grew deeper as the thoughts of everyone around him flooded into his mind, not being able to block them out at this particular moment for he was tired and hadn't had any time that morning for his usual tea. he couldn't wait to get home so the voices of peoples' thoughts would be quieter and a bit muffled upon closing the door. The man sighed and looked up at the sky that was shrouded in light pollution, blocking most of the sky besides the brightest of stars and the moon, as he walked. He counted the stars that were currently visible to him, 'One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven... That's it?' Arthur sighed, wishing he could see the sky more clearly. He sighed once again and continued onto his apartment.

...

"Peter, I'm home!", the green-eyed man said as he entered the relatively medium sized living space. Getting no reply as he set down his bag that he'd been carrying and placing his keys on the table, he called out again, "Peter?"

Then, he heard a quiet, child-like thought, '_Haha, I'm gonna get him this time! Be prepared, jerkface!_'

The blonde man currently known as 'jerkface' smirked, '_Oh, I'm prepared alright, thanks to you._' Having no worries of Peter not being there, he casually made his way deeper into the apartment when a little boy jumped out of a closet in front of him, wearing a monster mask. Arthur was not phased at all, "Hello, Peter."

"You weren't scared, Arthur?", Peter said, disappointed, as he took of the mask. '_Damnit! I'll get him next time for sure!_'

Arthur glanced at Peter, who is his little brother. Peter is a twelve-year-old boy who is about three fifths of Arthur's height. He was dressed in a white t-shirt and basketball shorts that were too big on him and has blue eyes and blonde hair that is a bit darker and a bit neater than Arthur's. Arthur shook his head and continued walking, "Watch your thoughts, Peter."

Peter huffed indignantly, "You curse all the time, jerk. Besides, you should really stop reading my thoughts." '_This jerk needs to mind his own business._'

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Well, Peter, how else will I know when you're lying to me? Besides, I'm tired today and cannot bother with trying to block out thoughts."

"Whatever, jerk.", Peter said as he walked past Arthur and into the entertainment room, "Oh, and Francis stopped by. He dropped off something I didn't bother to remember the name of and some eclairs."

Arthur frowned a bit, "I told that frog I didn't need him to bring me food! I am perfectly capable of getting food myself!"

"That may be, but I'm pretty sure he can cook way better than you can.", Peter pointed out with a smirk.

Arthur walked into the entertainment room with an appalled expression, "You're siding with that git? You traitor!"

"I was never on your side in the first place."

"I can not believe you would do this to me! You're own brother!"

"Oh, shut up. You know you love me.", Peter said as he began channel surfing.

Arthur shook his head, "Turn off the tele. You have school tomorrow."

Peter groaned, "But I already have straight one hundred marks in all of my courses! Haven't I already proved to be a capable human being?"

Arthur rolled his eyes, "You most certainly have not. You are still a child. Besides, I used to get all perfect scores in grade school, but look where it's gotten me. Nowhere. I have a master's in Literature, yet nothing to do with it."

Peter shrugged, "Write a book, or something. I'm sure they'd recognize you, then, old man." '_Maybe..._', Peter left the 'maybe' unspoken.

Arthur rolled his eyes and walked into the kitchen, "I'm old, but I'm not that old, Peter."

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**What'd you think? Tell me your thoughts! Favorite, follow, and review if you liked it! Give me your feedback! (I crave attention. ) **

**Until next time~! **


	2. Chapter 1: Meeting

**I'm here with a new chapter, isn't hat awesome? Updates aren't always going to be close like this, so don't expect me to update that often. I'm still working on three other stories that are important. **

**On with the chapter!**

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_Chapter 1: Meeting_

On this particular Monday morning, Arthur was running late, just like he had been the day before. The reason for this was because he couldn't seem to fall asleep for his mind was overrun by his own thoughts and simply could not get any rest. He quickly went through the morning processes, throwing on a white button up and black, tight-fitted trousers and putting on his peacoat. That day, Arthur was unable drink his tea and was really tired.

On his way to work, he made a stop at Starbucks to get his daily tea and scone. Once inside, he he saw that the line wasn't long and he quickly took his place, looking at the menu while waiting for the people in front of him to move forward.

'_What should I get?_', The person in front of him thought.

Arthur snorted to himself, '_All I know is that I hope you decide before you get to the counter._'

The queue moved until Arthur was the second person in line. He watched as the person in front of him rubbed his chin and said "uuuhh" in a long, monotone string. Arthur tapped his foot as he waited impatiently.

'_Should I get the cappuccino? Maybe I should get a latte..._' The cashier seemed to also be getting annoyed at how long the man was taking.

Arthur groaned internally, of course this would happen to him. Finally, the man made his the decision.

The cashier shot a fake smile at him and pushed some buttons on the register, "That'll be $5.12, sir."

'_It's about time._', Arthur thought irritably.

"On second thought..."

This time, Arthur groaned audibly, '_Bloody Americans._'

...

After a few more minutes of waiting, Arthur glanced at his watch and stepped toward the counter after the person in front of him moved.

The cashier smiled at him, "How may I help you, sir?" '_I hope he's not as slow as the other guy._'

Arthur gave a small polite smile, "Yes, may I have an Earl Grey brewed tea and a blueberry scone?" '_Not to worry, dear._'

The cashier's eyes lit up at his words and she clapped her hands together, "Oh my god, you're British?"

Arthur grimaced a bit at her excited voice, "English, actually."

She waved him off, "Sorry, sorry. When did you get here?" She pushed buttons on the register, "What size drink? Vente, grande, or tall? Also, I need your name."

Arthur hesitated for a moment, "Er, vente, and Kirkland."

She nodded, "Alright, that'll be $3.98, including tax, Mr. Kirkland."

Arthur pulled out his money and paid, "Thank you."

She smiled at him genuinely, "No problem, in the meantime, you have to wait. I would talk to you more, but I have customers to serve." '_That's so cool! I just met a Brit!_'

Arthur inwardly rolled his eyes and smiled at her, "That's alright, I understand." As he walked away he thought, '_Despite the fact that I told her I was English, she still calls me British._'

Arthur found himself sitting at a table, waiting for his order. As he waited, he had to listen to a variety of different thoughts.

'_That cashier's cute._'

'_How could she prefer a Chai tea latte over a vanilla latte?_'

"You're so funny!" '_Bitch._'

Arthur snorted at the last one just as a new thought entered his mind and was much louder than all of the rest and it sounded as if the voice had just arrived.

'_Ah, Starbucks, what a wonderful place._'

Arthur sighed, '_Why are you such a loud thinker?_'

To his surprise, the voice replied, '_I'm sorry, I don't really know how to be quiet when thinking._'

'._.. Wait, you can hear me?_'

'_Uh, yeah?_'

There was a short silence between the two and something seemed to click.

'_Oh my god, you're another person, aren't you!? Holy hell, I've never spoken to someone through telepathy! I was only ever able to hear people! This is totally awesome!_'

Arthur felt a headache coming on, '_I have the same situation._' Who the hell was this guy?

Just then, Arthur was called to go get his order and he stood to do just that.

'_So, who are you and where are y- HOLY CRAP. Who is that!? She's got a great ass! Dude, do you see her?_'

Arthur sighed, '_Quiet down, git! I could honestly care less about this girl._'

'_But dude, she's got a great ass! I can only see her from behind, though. She's wearing black pants and a black coat and she has short, blond hair. Maybe she's lesbian...?_'

Arthur paused in what he was doing, which was turning away from the counter after getting his order, leaving him still facing the counter, '_Wait, what?_' He looked around and saw that he was the only one wearing such a thing and had short, blonde hair.

'_See? I knew you were interested._', the voice sounded smug.

Arthur scoffed inside of his head, 'T_hat's not it at all. It's just that it looks as if I'm the only one in this establishment wearing black trousers and a black coat with blonde hair.'_

'_What? Aren't you a guy, though?_'

'_I am._'

'_But I could've sworn... Are you standing at the counter?_', the voice was confused.

'_I am._'

'_Turn around real quick._'

Arthur turned around and began walking a bit slowly.

'_Holy shit, you are really pretty... I-I mean, for a guy... But... Are those caterpillars on your forehead?_'

Arthur flushed in both embarrassment and anger, '_They most certainly are not, and I'm not a woman, therefore I can not be pretty!_'

'_You can_ so _be pretty, because you are!_'

Arthur's face became even more red, '_Where are you, git?_'

'I'll give you a hint! I have blond hair and glasses!'

Arthur looked around and spotted a boy smiling right at him who had striking blue eyes, even from the distance separating the two. Despite this fact, Arthur angrily stormed towards the boy and grabbed his hand before he dragged him outside of Starbucks with the other complaining about not being able to get his coffee.

Once outside, Arthur let go and turned towards the boy, who was admittedly very attractive. The boy smiled at him. Arthur frowned, "Do you not know how to talk to people!? You can't go around calling males pretty, especially those that you do not know!"

The American's grin grew wider, "Hey, you're British!" '_Cute._'

Arthur huffed, "English, twat. And I am most certainly _not_ cute."

"Whatever." '_Definitely cute._'

Arthur scowled and placed his hands on his hips, "Don't you like girls?"

The American shrugged, "I'm bisexual. Besides, you look enough like a girl. Remember when I mistook you for one?"

Arthur stomped a foot, "I do not! Who the bloody hell are you, anyway!?"

"Me? I'm Alfred F. Jones! And you are...?", Alfred's eyes sparkled in excitement behind his spectacles.

Arthur crossed his arms over his chest, "Arthur. Arthur Kirkland."

"Arthur...", Alfred said, trying out the name, liking the way it rolled off of his tongue.

Arthur sighed, "I don't have time for this. I have to go to work."

Alfred tilted his head slightly, "You do? Where do you work?"

"Somewhere." '_I'm not telling him._'

"Aww, Artie, why won't you tell me?"

Arthur shot a glare at Alfred before turning and walking off down the street, only for Alfred to follow him, "My name is _Arthur_, you prat. Besides, don't you somewhere to be?"

Alfred shook his head, "I don't have anything to do for a few hours. I'm off of work today and I don't have any college classes until 1 o'clock."

Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose, "How old are you, 19? Why don't you go do things that teenagers do?" '_And stop following me._'

Alfred ignored Arthur's request, "Wow, you're spot on about my age! How old are you? Wait, no, let me guess..." '_Uh, he's pretty short... I don't see any grey hairs or wrinkles, so he can't be that much older than me..._'

"I am not short, you twit. Have you ever thought that you were just tall?"

"I'm an average height for guys my age. Are you in college?"

"No." '_I graduated with a master's._'

"Really? That's cool! Are you 25?"

Arthur rose an eyebrow, "No." '_I'm 23._'

"Aw, I was off by two years..."

Arthur shook his head and sighed, '_Why do I always attract such wankers?_'

'_What's a wanker?_'

'_Nothing, Jones._'

"You know, you can call me Alfred."

"I know." '_I just choose not to._'

Alfred pouted, "Well, why not?"

Arthur did not reply and simply quickened his pace and Alfred matched it. Going on like this for a bit, Arthur quickening and Alfred matching, Arthur finally decided to round on Alfred with a glare.

"Why are you following me!? Go away!"

Alfred stopped walking as Arthur did, "Well, you are the first person I've met with the same ability as me and I have no way to see you or contact you or anything, so..."

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Give me your mobile."

"My what?"

Arthur sighed, "Bloody American... Your 'cell phone', git."

Alfred quickly pulled out his iPhone and punched in the passcode before handing it to Arthur.

Arthur took the phone and went to contacts and created a new one where he put his name and phone number. After doing this, he handed the phone back to Alfred.

Alfred looked at the number, repeating it in his head over and over again as if trying to remember it, "Thanks, dude!"

Arthur nodded, "Now leave me alone."

Alfred immediately shook his head, "No way! I still want to see where you work so I can visit you!"

Arthur facepalmed, "I'm not going to be able to stop you, am I?" Despite the fact that he said this irritably, he found that he was unwilling to actually stop him in the first place.

Alfred smiled at him, "Nope!"

Arthur sighed and began walking again, Alfred following right behind him.

...

Upon arriving, Arthur opened the door to the shop, "Lukas, Matthew, I'm here."

There were, like, two customers in the shop that looked up and looked away just as quickly.

Alfred looked around and spoke loudly, "You work in a book store?"

Arthur sighed, "Yes, now quiet down."

Then, there was a new voice, "What took you so long?"

Arthur turned toward the person standing behind the counter. This person had light blond hair with a clip in the shape of a cross in it and bored, blue eyes.

"Well, Lukas, I was distracted..."

Lukas glanced at Alfred, "Who's that?"

Alfred was the one to respond, "I'm Alfred! Nice to meet you!"

Lukas simply stared at him and said nothing.

'_Why can't I read his mind?_', Alfred thought.

Arthur responded, '_I've never been able to read his mind, either. I have no idea why. He's such a mystery._'

"Arthur, you're late again?", another person said as he walked out from the back of the shop. This person had short, wavy blonde hair that was the same shade as Alfred's but, instead of a cowlick, he had a long, curly strand of hair coming from his part. Also, he had indigo eyes.

"Matthew?", Alfred stared at the boy with wide eyes.

Matthew nearly dropped the stack of books he was holding, "Alfred?"

Arthur rose an eyebrow, "You two know each other?"

Alfred immediately dashed to Matthew, giving him a bear hug and making him drop the books, "Matthew, you work here? I thought you were still in Quebec! Why didn't you tell me anything?" '_He's my half brother._'

Arthur nodded, '_I see._'

Matthew smiled sheepishly, "A-Al, you're crushing me..."

Alfred let go, "Mattie, why didn't you tell me you were in America?"

Matthew looked away from him, "Well, I..." '_There was something I had to do..._'

Alfred furrowed his eyebrows, "What was it?"

Arthur took a sip of the tea he bought, grateful of the fact that it was still warm and he walked behind the counter with Lukas and placed his bag with the scone in it down as Matthew fidgeted a bit.

"Al, there's something I need to tell you..."

Alfred tilted his head, "Do you want to speak in private?"

Matthew shook his head, "That won't be necessary because Arthur and Lukas already know..."

"What do they already know?"

"Well, Alfred, I'm... I'm telekinetic..."

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**I feel as if I rushed this chapter... Tell me your thoughts, please! The Starbucks thing might not have been that accurate because I went based off of memory and I don't really remember the prices and such. If I made any mistakes, don't hesitate to correct me! Give me your feedback and such! I would like to thank everyone who favorited, reviewed, and followed last chapter. Hopefully, more of you do the same this chapter. **

**Until next time! **


	3. Chapter 2: Quality Time

**I'm back with a new chapter! Sorry I've been gone for, like, ever! I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed so far! One of the guests that reviewed said Matthew was telekinetic too, but I haven't revealed anyone else to be telekinetic yet. Alfred and Arthur are telepathic, not telekinetic. Telekinesis is when you can move things with your mind, and Mattie has this wonderful ability. **

**The story shall continue! **

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_Chapter 2: Revealing_

"I... I'm telekinetic...", Matthew said as he looked away from Alfred.

Alfred stared at his brother incredulously for a few moments before speaking, "Wait, what?"

"I have telekinesis.", Matthew repeated.

"Like, telekinesis as in 'move things with your mind' telekinesis?"

"What other telekinesis is there, Al?", Matthew rose an eyebrow.

Alfred looked away rubbed the back of his neck then looked back at Matthew, "I was just askin'... Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Well, I kind of wanted to have better control over it before I told you about it... So, I came here after doing some research and I found this book store with Arthur and Lukas in it, and Lukas has telekinesis, also, but he's known about his longer than I've known about mine, so I came here to get help from him."

Lukas spoke up, "I agreed to help under the condition that he would help us run the shop."

Alfred looked at the mysterious Nordic, "You have telekinesis, too?"

Lukas nodded and decided to show off a bit by lifting poor Arthur, who was eating his scone, a foot into the air.

Arthur spluttered and took the scone out of his mouth, "Lukas, put me down right this instant!"

Lukas silently obliged and Arthur sighed once his feet touched the ground.

Alfred's eyes sparkled and he exclaimed in excitement, "That's totally wicked!"

The customer in the back of the shop, the other one having left, rolled their eyes at Alfred's obnoxious voice before going back to search for a book.

Alfred then pouted a bit, "I wish I had telekinesis... I can only read minds..."

Matthew patted his brother on his shoulder, "Hey, that's something amazing in itself, right Arthur?"

Arthur took another bite out of his scone before looking at Matthew, taking a moment to register what he said, "Hm? O-oh, yes, of course."

Alfred sighed, "It really isn't that great... I mean, I have to hear _everyone's_ thoughts and it's _so_ annoying! I have to think _over_ people!"

Arthur rose an eyebrow, "You don't know how to block them out?"

Alfred shook his head slowly with a puzzled expression, "No...? I can do that?"

Arthur sighed, "Well, Matthew, I guess you aren't the only one who needs assistance. Alright, Alfred, I'll take you under my wing for a price."

"I have to pay you?", Alfred frowned.

Arthur quickly shook his head, "Not necessarily, I mean, if I can't come up with a payment that would work for both of us, then perhaps, but that's not my first choice of payment."

Alfred nodded slowly as he processed the words, "O... kay... So, what do you want?"

Arthur shrugged, "I haven't any idea as of right now. Come back to me later."

Alfred pouted, "But, Artie-"

"It's _Arthur_, git. You'll have to contact me on a Saturday because that's the only day I have free time."

Alfred sighed and nodded before glancing at the time on his phone, "Alright, I'll call you. I have to head to class now, though. See ya guys later!"

Thus, Alfred F. Jones made his exit.

After he was gone, both Lukas and Matthew stared at Arthur. Arthur looked back and forth between the two, "What?"

Matthew spoke up, "This is the first time you've ever offered to help someone."

"Does little Arthur have a crush?", Lukas teased with a blank expression.

Arthur deadpanned, "Of course not, you wankers. I just met the prat today."

"You seemed to enjoy the short amount of time the two of you were together.", said Lukas.

Arthur groaned, "Oh, belt up, git. I did no such thing. I understand what it's like having to put up with a lot of noise, so I can sympathize with that. That's all there is to it." That's what Arthur tried to convince himself of, yet, deep on the inside, he felt as if there was something more, something budding inside of him.

Lukas smirked, breaking his blank expression, "_Sure_, Arthur."

Matthew's eyes widened, "Oh my maple, Lukas, you have a facial expression!"

Lukas's face morphed back into a blank expression as he turned his head towards Matthew, "Are you saying I don't have facial expressions?"

Arthur rolled his eyes and spoke sarcastically, "Of _course_ not. He's _definitely_ saying that you are the most expressive person in the world."

Lukas snorted at Arthur's dry humor, "That's what I thought."

Arthur shook his head and walked away from the counter, "Get back to work, you two."

"Yes, sir.", Lukas said sarcastically and Matthew smiled a bit and picked up the books he dropped.

Arthur's mind wandered back to the topic of Alfred, who just so happened to be related to one of his employees. Why exactly had this boy waltzed into his life? Arthur couldn't help but feel as if there was some sort of important reason, yet he shook it off. That's ridiculous, right? Of course it was. Arthur went back to sorting books onto shelves.

**/(-.-)\**

The week went by rather quickly, yet neither Arthur nor Alfred could get much sleep. Arthur continuously had night terrors that he would forget right after, yet he knew exactly how frightening they were. Alfred was simply restless and could not fall asleep, his mind plagued with thoughts of the future. When he did manage to fall asleep, he would dream about random things that were irrelevant and often strange and made no connections. Honestly, the two could not wait until Saturday came along.

When it did come around, Arthur woke up in a cold sweat at about 8 o'clock. Once again, he could not remember anything that happened in the dream. He shivered at the mere thought of it, though. Arthur was trembling as he buried his face in his hands and breathed erratically.

"Arthur?"

Arthur's head shot up to look at the boy in the doorway, "Y-yes, Peter?"

Peter slowly made his way into the bedroom, "Are you okay...?"

Arthur took a deep breath and nodded, "I'm fine, Peter."

Peter walked over to Arthur's bed and sat next to him, "Did you have a nightmare?"

Arthur sighed again, "Yes."

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

Arthur frowned and shook his head, "I don't remember any of it, but I have the feeling that it's really important..."

"Oh..."

They sat silently for a little bit before the silence was broken by Arthur, "Let's go eat breakfast, yes?"

Peter smiled, "Yeah!" He then hopped off of the bed, "Race ya to the kitchen!"

Arthur shook his head after Peter took off, "It's 'you', but you're on!" He then got up out of the bed and found himself running to the kitchen, also.

Peter, having won their little competition, gloated to Arthur as they ate their breakfast, which consisted of toaster waffles, maple syrup, tea, and milk.

"You're getting slower in your age, old man."

Arthur scoffed, "I may be older than you, but that doesn't make me old!"

Peter shrugged, "Twenty-three seems pretty old to me."

Arthur huffed, "Says the twelve-year-old."

There was a short silence. Arthur pushed the button on his phone to make the screen turn on, it was 8:57. Just then, Arthur's phone began to ring. He didn't know the number. He was about to press ignore when he remembered he'd given his number to Alfred.

Arthur picked up the phone, "'Ello?"

A familiar, nervous voice spoke on the other end, "Is this Arthur Kirkland?"

"Speaking."

The voice audibly grew more confident and Arthur was well aware of who he was speaking to, "Great! It's me, Alfred! I was just wondering if you had anything in mind about that payment."

Arthur was silent for a moment before speaking, "I honestly don't know, yet."

Arthur could practically feel Alfred's pout through the phone, "Nothing? Well, maybe we can meet up and we can discuss it a bit... I'm kind of going somewhere today, though."

"Oh, that's fine. We don't have to meet up today.", Arthur reassured Alfred.

"Wait, you can come with me, can't you? Come one! It'll be great!"

Arthur rose an eyebrow, "... I don't know, Alfred... I have a little brother that I have to watch..."

Peter scrunched up his face at that. '_I'm not a little kid, Arthur._'

Arthur mentally rolled his eyes at his brother's rather _childish_ thoughts when Alfred spoke, "He can come, too! My grandma absolutely loves children!"

Arthur thought for a moment, "Well, I guess it couldn't hurt... We weren't doing anything else today."

"Great! Do you mind, uh, telling me your address so I can come pick you up, or something? I promise I'm not a creeper or a stalker or anything!"

Arthur snorted a bit at this and gave the American his address.

"Awesome, so I'll come pick you up in about an hour, maybe?"

"That's fine, lad.", Arthur replied.

"Alright, I'll see you then!", Alfred hung up.

When Arthur put down the phone, Peter spoke up, "Who was that and where are we going?"

Arthur's eyes darted back and forth, looking nowhere in particular yet everywhere at once, "Er, his name is Alfred, but I'm not exactly sure where he's taking us. He said something about his grandmother. Why are you listening to my conversation, anyway?"

Peter crossed his arms over his chest, and glared suspiciously at his brother, "Well, it's kinda difficult not to listen when you're sitting right across from me. Besides, I could only hear your half of it. Also, who is this 'Alfred' person to you? How do you know him? When did you meet? Where did you meet? Are you two dating?"

Arthur flushed and stammered, "W-what!? Of course we aren't dating! I just met the bloke yesterday in Starbucks! What would give you the idea that we are dating!?"

Peter continued to glare suspiciously at Arthur, "You must be interested, right? Since you gave him your number and all... From what I know about you, you wouldn't just give anyone your number. What does he look like? What does he do for a living? More importantly, how old is he?"

Arthur groaned, "What is this? Twenty questions?" Arthur paused to sigh, "Why don't you go get ready? He said he was going to be here in about an hour."

Peter stood up from the table and placed his dishes in the sink, "Perfect. I'll get to see exactly who he is and whether or not he's a threat."

Arthur huffed and rolled his eyes before beginning to clean up the rest of the mess.

**B)**

In about an hour and fifteen minutes, there was a knock on the door. Arthur put his book down only for Peter to yell, "I'll get it!" He heard Peter run to the front door and open it.

"Kirkland residence, how may I help you?", Arthur heard Peter say.

Then he heard Alfred's confused voice, "Is this where Arthur lives?"

"It is. You must be Alfred, correct?", Peter responded surprisingly with astute politeness.

Arthur decided to get up and stop this before this became another session of 20 questions. Once he was at the door he greeted their guest, "Hello, Alfred. You're late."

Alfred smiled at him, ignoring the last statement, "Hi! You ready to go?"

Arthur glanced at Peter and then back at Alfred, "I think you should be asking him that question."

Alfred turned to Peter, "What's your name, sport?"

Peter frowned, "What's it to you?"

Alfred's eyebrows shot up at this and he whispered to Arthur, "What's his problem?"

Arthur just shook his head and shrugged, "Come, Peter. Let's go."

Peter huffed and followed his brother and the suspicious character out of the door.

**(0u0)**

The three spent the first couple of minutes of the car ride being silent: Peter was glaring at the back of Alfred's seat, Arthur was staring out the window, and Alfred was, of course, driving. Alfred, being quite the talkative person, simply could not bear the silence.

"So...", Alfred began, trailing off hoping someone would pick up on his desire to make conversation.

Arthur looked at him, "So?"

Alfred raked his mind with something to start the conversation and began weakly, "Uh... What is your favorite color...?"

Arthur rose an eyebrow and snorted in amusement, "Smooth, Jones."

Alfred pouted and glanced at Arthur, "What? I can't stand the silence."

"Turn on some bloody music or something, then.", Arthur mumbled mostly to himself.

Alfred, having heard him, did just that. The song that was currently playing was _Demons_ by Imagine Dragons.

Arthur smiled faintly because it was a rather good song. Eventually, he found himself singing along with the song quietly, "When you feel my heat, look into my eyes. It's where my demons hide, it's where my demons hide. Don't get too close, it's dark inside. It's where my demons hide, it's where my..." Arthur trailed off when he noticed Alfred was glancing at him with a pleased smile on his face.

Arthur blushed and looked out the window, '_What is it, git?_'

'_You're singing's beautiful._'

Arthur flushed even more due to the compliment and shot a withering glare at the American, '_Belt up._'

Alfred's eyes sparkled with mirth, '_You're_ _adorable._'

Arthur's ears felt as if they were on fire, '_No-_'

He was interrupted by Peter who happened to be aware of their silent exchange because he was closely watching their facial expressions, "Are you two flirting?"

Arthur looked back at Peter while Alfred glanced at him with the rear-view mirror. '_I forgot he was still here._', Alfred thought.

Arthur shot a reprimanding glare at him.

Peter's eyes widened, "You seriously were? Oh my god, does that mean Alfred can read minds, also?"

Arthur scowled, "Oh, belt up, Peter. We weren't-"

Arthur was interrupted by Alfred, "He's already 'belted up', though. Can't you see he's wearing his seat belt?"

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Oh, that's not what I bloody-You know what? Never mind." Arthur then proceeded to turn back towards the passenger seat window.

Alfred began speaking to Peter, "As for your question, yes. I am able to read minds."

Peter was astounded, "... Wow, you an Artie can communicate with only your minds. You just earned a cool point... Well, you still have a long way to go before I will allow you to date my jerkface brother!"

Alfred was a bit taken aback at Peter's declaration as was Arthur who whipped around to glare at Peter, "What the hell, brat!? I told you, we aren't dating! We literally just met! Besides, who gave you the right to govern my life!?"

Peter glared right back at Arthur, "Look, I'm just trying to protect you from absolute jerks!"

"Well, I don't need you to protect me, brat!"

Alfred nervously interjected, "Hey, uh, my favorite color is green! What's yours?"

Both Arthur and Peter turned their glares at Alfred. Alfred laughed a bit nervously, feeling unsettled due to the twin glares being shot in his direction.

Arthur sighed and slumped into his seat, "... Why is green your favorite color?"

Alfred was a bit relieved that Arthur calmed down, but Peter was still glaring daggers at the back of his seat, "Uh, well... Y'know... The trees, the grass... Emeralds..." '_Your eyes._' Alfred left the last part unsaid.

Arthur blushed, having heard Alfred's thoughts. "Er, well... My favorite color just so happens to be blue... D-don't get me wrong! It's not because of you! It's because of the ocean and the flag of the United Kingdom and... and Peter's eyes!"

Alfred beamed, well aware of what Arthur really meant while Peter was staring incredulously in Arthur's direction at the mention of his eyes.

Suddenly, Alfred's favorite song came on. It was _Counting Stars_ by One Republic.

He gasped, "This is my jam!" Then, he proceeded to sing terribly off-key, "Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep! Dreaming about the things that we could be. 'Cuz, baby, I've been, I've been prayin' hard, said 'no more countin' dollars, we'll be countin' stars'."

Arthur, knowing the song also, gave Alfred a weird look, "You are singing _completely_ off-key, you git."

Alfred pouted, "I'd like to hear you sing it, then!"

Arthur blushed, but obliged, "I feel something so right by doing the wrong thing and I feel something so wrong by doing the right thing. I couldn't lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie. Everything that kills me makes me feel alive."

Alfred was a bit awed because Arthur hit all of the notes perfectly, even the high notes, "Have you ever thought of becoming a pro, bro? Hey, that rhymed!"

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Oh, belt up, twit." At that moment, Arthur noticed their surroundings. They were far out of town and they were surrounded by the expanse of farmland, "Where are we going?"

Alfred glanced at Arthur with a smirk, "You'll see when we get there."

Peter huffed, "Stop flirting! It's gross."

Alfred simply laughed as Arthur turned to look out the window with a pink-tinted face.

* * *

**Yeah, I've decided I would end this chapter here. I mean, it's been a long time since I've updated and I wouldn't want to prolong it anymore. Have questions? Ask away! Criticism? Criticize away! Like the story? Favorite and follow! Don't forget to review! **

**Until next time! **


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